Silver Bullet Page #20

MAC:

Here it is.

INT. THE BOX, CU

MAC'S hands open it, disclosing a single bullet resting on

dark velvet plush. It is a .22 short round, and it gleams a

pure silver. It would be great to hype this bullet

optically- not much, just a little- to make it look

absolutely magical. Almost holy.

INT. MAC AND UNCLE AL

UNCLE AL picks up the bullet almost reverently, holds it to

the light.

MAC:

Nicest piece of work I ever did, I think.

It's got a low-grain load so it won't

tumble. Should be pretty accurate.

UNCLE AL:

It's just a gag, that's all. What would

you shoot a silver .22 bullet at, anyway?

MAC (joking)

How about a werewolf? (Pause) Happy

Halloween, Al.

EXT. THE FULL MOON, CLOSE NIGHT

It nearly fills the screen, swimming mysteriously in the

warm summer air.

JANE (voice-over)

By the time Marty's silver bullet was done,

it was Halloween... and the full moon had

come around again. Earlier that afternoon,

my grandfather, who had been dying of cancer

for over seven years, finally finished the job.

THE CAMERA PANS DOWN to the COSLAW house. There's a carved

jack in the window and a corsage of Indian corn on the door.

UNCLE AL'S MG is in the driveway. The COSLAW station wagon

is just backing out. UNCLE AL and JANE stand in the doorway;

MARTY is slightly behind them in the Silver Bullet.

NAN leans out of the car. She's wearing black, and she has

obviously been crying.

NAN:

Remember, Al... we'll be at the Ritz-Carlton

in Boston tomorrow night! Or at the funeral

parlor. It's Stickney and-

UNCLE AL:

-and Babcock, I remember. Now go on!

The station wagon backs farther and NAN leans out again.

NAN:

And don't open the door for any trick or

treaters even if they come!

UNCLE AL:

We won't!

The station wagon backs out into the road and NAN pops out

again.

NAN:

You kids go to bed on time! You've got

school tomorrow!

UNCLE AL:

If you keep doing that, you're going to

bump your head, sissy. Give my love to Mama-

tell her I'll see her Thursday.

NAN:

I will- be good, kids.

MARTYJANE:

'Bye, mom! Bye, dad!We will! 'Bye!

The station wagon accelerates away.

UNCLE AL:

Can I tell you kids something?

JANE:

Sure, Uncle Al.

UNCLE AL:

When me and sissy were kids, we were

just like you two.

MARTY:

Yeah? Really?

UNCLE AL:

Yeah. Really. The b*tch of it is, we still

are. Learn from your elders, dearies.

He ushers them inside and closes the door.

INT. THE STATION WAGON, WITH BOB AND NAN

BOB:

I can't believe that you'd agree to leave

the kids with him. A year ago I would have

laughed at the idea. You used to almost

breathe fire when Al came in the house.

NAN:

He's changed. Just this summer. Or

something's changed him. Marty, maybe.

And the drinking- I think it's almost

stopped. Whatever it is, it's wonderful.

And they'll be safe with him. I'm sure

of it.

BOB:

I know they'll be safe with him... but will

he get them both into bed by nine-thirty?

NAN (firmly)

If I told him to, he will.

INT. THE WALL CLOCK IN THE COSLAW LIVING ROOM NIGHT

It reads 1:
00.

SOUND:
The National Anthem.

INT. THE TV, CU

The anthem finishes up. We go to a station ID card.

ANNOUNCER'S VOICE

This concludes WDML's broadcast day.

The TV goes to snow.

INT. JANE ON THE COUCH

She's mostly asleep in one corner.

INT. MARTY, IN THE SILVER BULLET

He's also dozing.

INT. UNCLE AL, IN BOB'S EASY CHAIR IN FRONT OF THE TV

He is also dozing. There are three or four empty beer cans

in front of him, and a cigarette with a long ash is

smoldering between his fingers. There's a .22 pistol in his

lap.

EXT. THE COSLAW HOUSE, FROM ONE SIDE

The WEREWOLF breaks from the woods and runs across the side

yard to a line of high bushes that runs along the side of

the house (this is the opposite side from MARTY'S bedroom).

EXT. IN THE BUSHES, WITH THE WEREWOLF

There is a space in here between the house and the bushes-

it's like an animal's run. The WEREWOLF creeps along this,

its one eye flaring.

DIM SOUND OF TV SNOW.

INT. THE LIVING ROOM, WITH MARTY, JANE, AND UNCLE AL

UNCLE AL jumps up and cries out as the cigarette burns up to

his fingers. The .22 falls onto the rug.

MARTY and JANE also wake up, startled.

EXT. IN THE BUSHES, WITH THE WEREWOLF

It recoils, eyes gleaming. Foam begins to drip from its

jaws. It creeps slowly along toward a window. TV SNOW SOUNDS

GROW LOUDER.

INT. THE LIVING ROOM, WITH AL, JANE, MARTY

UNCLE AL is shaking his burned hand; he picks the cigarette

out of his lap and puts it out.

JANE (sleepy)

You'll burn yourself up sometime doing

that, Uncle Al.

UNCLE AL:

I suppose so. You kids ought to go up to bed.

MARTY:

But Uncle Al! You said-

UNCLE AL:

I know what I said, Marty- but it's ten

past one. He's not coming.

JANE:

The moon's not down yet...

UNCLE AL:

Damn near. Now I'll sit up with this

stupid gun in my lap because I promised,

but you two are going to bed. Go on,

now, scoot.

JANE gets up and starts toward the stairs.

MARTY:

What if I say no?

UNCLE AL:

Then I'd have to kick your ass, dear boy.

(more kindly) Go on, now.

MARTY begins to roll the Silver Bullet toward the stairs,

where the stair chair awaits. JANE is waiting for him at the

living-room doorway. MARTY sees the gun on the floor and

stops.

MARTY:

If that'd gone off, it would have been the

end of our silver bullet.

INT. UNCLE AL

He prickles a bit at the unstated criticism. He bends down

and picks up the pistol. He opens the cylinder. Five

chambers are empty; in one there's a bright silver circle.

INT. UNCLE AL

He pushes the cylinder plunger, dropping the silver bullet

into his hand.

UNCLE AL:

See, dear boy? Totally unimpaired.

Behind him, the WEREWOLF'S head appears in the window, its

green eye flaring.

INT. BY THE LIVING ROOM DOORWAY, WITH MARTY AND JANE

MARTY, looking toward UNCLE AL, sees nothing. JANE is

looking toward the window and she SCREAMS.

JANE (shrieking)

It's him! It's the werewolf! I see him!

IT'S THE WEREWOLF!

She's pointing at the window.

INT. UNCLE AL

He jumps up and looks around at the window- at this point AL

has the .22 with its cylinder open in one hand and the

silver bullet loosely held in the other.

Nothing in the window but darkness. UNCLE AL turns back to

the kids.

UNCLE AL (sharply)

You see it, Marty!

INT. MARTY

MARTY (shakes his head)

I was looking at you...

INT. UNCLE AL

His shoulders slump a little with relief- now that the scare

is over, his relief is tempered with irritation. They're

just a couple of hysterical kids after all, and JANE is

actually worse than MARTY. Polly Practical indeed!

UNCLE AL:

A very familiar feeling is beginning to

creep over me.

INT. MARTY AND JANE, BY THE DOORWAY

JANE is crying.

MARTY:

What's that, Uncle Al?

INT. UNCLE AL

UNCLE AL:

I feel like a horse's ass.

INT. MARTY AND JANE, BY THE DOORWAY

JANE (weeping)

I saw it, Uncle Al! I did!

MARTY rolls a little closer to her and attempts to put a

comforting arm around her shoulder.

JANE:

Don't you touch me, snotbrains!

MARTY:

Jane-

INT. UNCLE AL

UNCLE AL:

Would you kids go to bed? My head's

starting to ache.

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